Breakdown of Var är koppen och glaset? De är på bordet.
vara
to be
de
they
och
and
bordet
the table
var
where
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
glaset
the glass
koppen
the cup
Questions & Answers about Var är koppen och glaset? De är på bordet.
Where are the words for "the" in this sentence?
In Swedish, "the" is usually added to the very end of the noun instead of being a separate word before it. Kopp (cup) becomes koppen (the cup), and glas (glass) becomes glaset (the glass).
Why does glaset end in "-et" while koppen ends in "-en"?
The ending you use depends on whether the word is an "en" word or an "ett" word. Kopp is an "en" word (en kopp), so it gets the -en ending. Glas and bord are "ett" words (ett glas, ett bord), so they get the -et ending.
Doesn't är mean "is"? Why is it used for "are" here?
In Swedish, verbs don't change based on who or how many things are doing the action! Är covers "am", "is", and "are". So var är is used for both "where is" and "where are".
Is the word de (they) pronounced exactly how it looks?
Almost never! Even though it is written as de, it is pronounced as dom in everyday spoken Swedish.
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